Taking the pain away
by Chelsieobsessed1980
Summary: The story line concerns the last episode of season 2-when Elsie and Mrs. O'Brien have been testifying on Mr. Bates's trial. I think that all Elsie fans were a little broken-heart after this episode, because of what she had to go through. She comes back to Downton, devastated and there is only one person who can take her pain away. I think we all know who that is ;-)


TAKING THE PAIN AWAY

**Hello again Chelsie fans. Lovely to be here with you all. I've finally managed to get some time for writing another story and since this is my tenth story, I feel obliged to give you and myself something really special. This is the idea which I had in my head from the very beginning of my writing, but somehow it was put aside by other stories which overtook this one. Now because of my small jubilee in here, (I still can't believe that I have written ten stories about Chelsie) I can finally devote my time to the plot which was special for me long time ago.**

**The story line concerns the last episode of season 2-when Elsie and Mrs. O'Brien have been testifying on Mr. Bates's trial. I think that all Elsie fans were a little broken-heart after this episode, because of what she had to go through. She comes back to Downton, devastated and there is only one person who can take her pain away. I think we all know who that is ;-)**

**One-shot as usual. I can't pull off multi-chapter stories, so I'll better stick to one-shots.**

**I would like to thank again to all my readers and reviewers- your positive words keep me going on.**

**Legal note: I wonder how that is, but I still don't own the characters, but if it depend on the time which a person spends thinking about them, they would definitely be mine by now ;-)**

Elsie and Miss O'Brien were walking in silence, coming back from London to Downton after 's trial. They were both sunken in their unhappy thoughts. The dark reality of the trial has now reached Elsie's mind. Her testimony was completely turned upside down and she felt guilty. Guilty because the innocent man was convicted to be hanged. When she left the court room she caught Anna's gaze and there was so much pain in it that she felt like her heart was hit with an arrow. There wasn't only sorrow in Anna's eyes, but also a little bit of disbelief, like she was being betrayed by the woman who was always her mother-figure. Elsie knew that she let her down and it was a very heavy burden. Anna was always her favorite and she treated her like the daughter she never had and never will have. She looked away, because of the big lump in her throat and tears in the corners of her eyes. She wasn't sure how it will be possible for her to go through this pain.

When they crossed the threshold of Downton and stepped into the kitchen, the servants were just finishing their dinner, but they all immediately rose their heads when they came in. Of course they were curious-they were asking questions, they wanted to know everything. Elsie stood their calmly and quietly answering their questions but her answers were short and kind of mechanical.

Charles sat there, silent, he wasn't asking anything. He just sat there, never letting his sight out of her. His eyes seemed to infiltrate her soul. Elsie wasn't sure what it meant, but she was too exhausted to analyze. She took the first possible opportunity to leave the room, because all she really wanted at this moment was to be alone and she went to her sitting room, closing the door behind her.

She tried to focus on something, to look through the ledgers, deal with some overdue problems but she just couldn't do it. The letters were slurring before her eyes, the lines had no sense at all, so after a while she just gave up on trying to be concentrated. She got up her desk, went to the window and just stared into the darkness of the night. She felt cold and lonely and taken by despair that was overwhelming her whole body. She didn't hear how the doors of her sitting room opened, she didn't hear when Charles entered and closed the door behind him. He was standing there for some time, looking at her, sensing her despair and deep sadness. His heart was broken, because whenever she was hurting, he was hurting. Seeing her in this stage was unbearable. He felt that he had to comfort her, no matter what. He knew that she was unaware of his presence and didn't want to scare her.

"Mrs Hughes are you all right?"-he asked with a quiet voice, although he knew that she wasn't.

She turned out immediately being a little surprised. She wanted to answer his question but she couldn't. That big lump in her throat made it impossible and the corners of her eyes filled with tears, when she saw that the man she loved was right next to her, standing just in front of her, with the face expression full of concern and something else, she didn't exactly knew what it was but it looked like tenderness? Affectionate?

Not being able to reply, as her body was shaking with uncontrollable sobs and the tears were now flowing with an open stream. His reaction was prompt. He went to her, taking her in his arms, holding her close to him. His hands embraced her and she took that hug naturally, without any hesitation. She put her head on his shoulder and her shaking body cling tightly to him. She was still weeping, but she no longer felt cold. The sudden closeness of his warm body, the smell of him, and the magical feel of his hands on her back made her calm down almost instantly.

"It's all right Elsie. Shh..it's all right now. Let this pain out. I'm here with you."

Elsie trembled a bit, hearing the sound of his deep voice and she instinctively got closer to him. He was holding her firmly, rocking her in his arms, like a hurt baby, that needs to be taken care of. His hands were gently stroking her back and he kissed a top of her head automatically, without even thinking about it.

Elsie sighed when she felt that, she thought that it can mean that he cares about her, that he loves her maybe? She, herself has never had any doubts about the feeling that was in her heart for so many years-she loved him madly and during all those years of their mutual service, she put a lot of effort trying to hide it from him, because she knew that this was something what was forbidden. Something that could never happen. Many nights have gone, when she wondered if he feels the same and still wasn't able to confirm that with all the certainty. But now...When she felt his strong embrace, his large hands caressing her so gently and his lips on her hair...That was the moment that her confirmation arrived. Amazed by his actions, she lifted her head up to look in his eyes and when their sight met, she already knew the answer. Never in her life, she has seen so much love in anybody's eyes before. So much tenderness, the kind of tenderness you can't fake or to mistake it with anything else.

When Charles looked in her eyes, he saw the same- the enormity of her love for him. This woman, this beautiful woman, who has lived with him under the same roof, for almost twenty years, dined with him at the same table, worked with him day by day-making sure that the Abbey was maintaining the highest possible standards, was now standing near him, sheltered in his arms, silently saying with her eyes all those things that he wanted to hear from her-love and devotion were written all over her face. And that was it. He couldn't wait any longer, as he knew that there is only one thing that he wants to do right now. He leaned to her and kissed her-slowly and gently, he sighed unconsciously, in the moment when he first touched her lips, but his kiss was uncertain, shy, like he was still hesitating what her reaction might be. But all those doubts were swiftly allayed when she almost immediately deepened the kiss and made it more passionate, more lustful that he would have ever expected. Her hands which she was pressing to his chest earlier, were suddenly wrapped around his neck and as their kisses became more ardently and full of desire, her fingers were running through his hair. They didn't want to stop, but they had to when this unexpected heat of passion deprive them both of their breaths.

"Elsie..love...my sweet darling...I love you so much...I love you..."-Charles whispered taking her face in both of his hands and touching it reverently. His eyes were burning with love and desire.

"Charles...Oh Charles...I love you too..So long, so long..I thought that I will never have a chance to tell you this..."

Her tears were streaming again and she felt that she couldn't stand on her feet, her knees were so faint because of this display of affection that happened just a moment ago.

"Charles just hold me close to you... I need you so much love..."

"Oh my beautiful darling..."-he held her closely-"When I think what you went through today Elsie.. My dearest if I could only take this pain away from you, I would have...I can't stand when you are hurting...It breaks my heart. I love you so much..."

"Charles you have taken my pain away. You have darling. If someone told me today morning, that I will finish my day being in your arms, I would have never believe that."

"I would gladly take all the pain from your life Elsie, so you would never have to go through any suffer again. You mean the world to me Elsie...You are everything..."

"Charles you mean the world to me too love..I have never loved anybody like I love you.."

They kissed each other again- pressing their lips to one another. Slowly. Lovingly. Sensually. Their lips, their hands, and every inch of their bodies were concentrated on pouring the deepest and most tender love that was locked in their hearts for such a long time...

**So yay! This is it. The idea that was wandering in my brain for such a long time, has now shaped into this story. I always felt as a huge Elsie fan ( I love Elsie and also Phyllis Logan), that it was not fair that Mrs Hughes was always the one who comforted everyone in the house and when she was hurting there was no one to take care of her. So once again I have cleaned the mess that uncle Julian made in the series. **

**Hope that you will enjoy this just a little bit. If so, please leave a review. They help me to survive ;-) The ending is ambiguous so if you like it I can always continue the story in the next chapter.**

**Thank you once more for being here with me in my crazy, little fanfiction world for all ten of my stories. Sorry for all the language mistakes. Love you all.**


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